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Home Front: Politix
CIA old guard moves against Bush
2004-10-10
A powerful "old guard" faction in the Central Intelligence Agency has launched an unprecedented campaign to undermine the Bush administration with a battery of damaging leaks and briefings about Iraq.
In that case they should be tossed. I no more want the CIA involved in politix than I want the Army involved in politix. Maybe less...
The White House is incensed by the increasingly public sniping from some senior intelligence officers who, it believes, are conducting a partisan operation to swing the election on November 2 in favour of John Kerry, the Democratic candidate, and against George W Bush. Jim Pavitt, a 31-year CIA veteran who retired as a departmental chief in August, said that he cannot recall a time of such "viciousness and vindictiveness" in a battle between the White House and the agency. John Roberts, a conservative security analyst, commented bluntly: "When the President cannot trust his own CIA, the nation faces dire consequences."
It means it's time to dismantle the CIA and replace it with something else...
Relations between the White House and the agency are widely regarded as being at their lowest ebb since the hopelessly botched Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba by CIA-sponsored exiles under President John F Kennedy in 1961. There is anger within the CIA that it has taken all the blame for the failings of pre-war intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons programmes. Former senior CIA officials argue that so-called "neo-conservative" hawks such as the vice president, Dick Cheney, the secretary of defence, Donald Rumsfeld, and his number three at the defence department, Douglas Feith, have prompted the ill-feeling by demanding "politically acceptable" results from the agency and rejecting conclusions they did not like. Yet Colin Powell, the less hardline secretary of state, has also been scathing in his criticism of pre-war intelligence briefings. The leaks are also a shot across the bows of Porter Goss, the agency's new director and a former Republican congressman. He takes over with orders from the White House to end the in-fighting and revamp the troubled spy agency as part of a radical overhaul of the American intelligence world.
Goss had better bring them to heel with a tight choke chain immediately. We don't need a praetorian guard in this country...
Bill Harlow, the former CIA spokesman who left with the former director George Tenet in July, acknowledged that there had been leaks from within the agency. "The intelligence community has been made the scapegoat for all the failings over Iraq," he said. "It deserves some of the blame, but not all of it. People are chafing at that, and that's the background to these leaks."
Chafe and be damned. The CIA has no place in internal American politix. It's an agency of the government, not a driver...
Fighting to defend their patch ahead of the future review, anti-Bush CIA operatives have ensured that Iraq remains high on the election campaign agenda long after Republican strategists such as Karl Rove, the President's closest adviser, had hoped that it would fade from the front pages. In the latest clash, a senior former CIA agent revealed that Mr Cheney "blew up" when a report into links between the Saddam regime and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist behind the kidnappings and beheadings of hostages in Iraq, including the Briton Kenneth Bigley, proved inconclusive. Other recent leaks have included the contents of classified reports drawn up by CIA analysts before the invasion of Iraq, warning the White House about the dangers of post-war instability. Specifically, the reports said that rogue Ba'athist elements might team up with terrorist groups to wage a guerrilla war.
When I went to work for the agency I worked for, I signed numerous non-disclosure statements. Whenever I got a new access, I signed non-disclosure statements. When I had my 5-year-updates, I signed non-disclosure documents. I guess those apply only to us guys working at the peon level.
Critics of the White House include officials who have served in previous Republican administrations such as Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA head of counter-terrorism and member of the National Security Council under Ronald Reagan. "These have been an extraordinary four years for the CIA and the political pressure to come up with the right results has been enormous, particularly from Vice-President Cheney. "I'm afraid that the agency is guilty of bending over backwards to please the administration. George Tenet was desperate to give them what they wanted and that was a complete disaster." With the simmering rows breaking out in public, the Wall Street Journal declared in an editorial that the administration was now fighting two insurgencies: one in Iraq and one at the CIA. With just 23 days before the country votes for its next president, both sides are braced for further bruising encounters.
Posted by:Dan Darling

#23  republican do not represent America
this scum full of complexes and mental insecurity are the clowns of the planet and will be make irrelevant. time is come ,we will go against this bastard that cause 1000 soldiers to die for no reason
Posted by: Thriger Clusing2422   2004-10-10 4:36:58 AM  

#22  if Bush has any glaring weakness, its being too "loyal" to people who failed in their jobs.

Yet another fault of following the New Testament ... I often get the feeling that the president -- no offense to believing Christians -- is too much of one, or at least he's still got too much "love" and not enough "wrath" ... if I were president, here's what the next DCI's initial meeting would look like:

It's simple. You work with me, I will help you. If you try your best but come up short, I will fight to help you to do your job. But if you betray me or undermine me -- I will END your career. And that of your wife. And that of your children. I will hound you onto death, I will RUIN you and your entire family, so that you may be an example for Directors to come.

Dismissed.

So, how was that?[/preening]
Posted by: Edward Yee   2004-10-10 10:16:10 PM  

#21  And take away their CS retirement checks just like you would any felon.
Posted by: anymouse   2004-10-10 9:49:26 PM  

#20  AN old inside joke: we wondered if the higher ups were working for the CIA or the CYA.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-10-10 9:10:45 PM  

#19  not too smart too talk about the boss is it?
Posted by: smokeysinse   2004-10-10 4:24:43 PM  

#18   After the grand Election Day Victory the Bush White House shall need to place a rather substaial order for the following items to be shiiped to American inteligence service(s) Ajax, Comet, Spic and Span, Formula W-409, Fantastik-04, Lysol Plus Bleach, Tilex scum remover, Windex, 'new'-Pledge and order real heavy on the Raid for those real tough, leftover, lurking pests which maybe hidding in the back offices.

Posted by: Mark Espinola   2004-10-10 2:58:49 PM  

#17  being too "loyal" to people who failed in their jobs.
One would hope that Bush, having been badly screwed by George "Slam Dunk" Tenet, will be a lot less inclined toward loyalty from here forward.
Let's see if he starts to clean house Nov. 3. Get rid of the arabists at State in the process.
Posted by: lex   2004-10-10 2:15:38 PM  

#16  its being too "loyal" to people who failed in their jobs.

I agree.
Posted by: 2b   2004-10-10 1:31:16 PM  

#15  Laurie Mylroie wrote a book "Bush vs. the Beltway" about the war of the old guard -- those non dot connecting schmucks -- at CIA and State being conducted against Bush.

But first read the book by former CIA field officer Robert Baer -- not a conservative -- "See No Evil" about the nature of the CIA. Their capabilities in the field are about nil. They have been destroyed by the bureaucratic cancer which infects the top layers of the agency.

And to see how the agency got to where they can't find their arses with both hands, read Bill Gertz's "Breakdown".
Posted by: VRWconspiracy   2004-10-10 1:30:41 PM  

#14  I concur - if Bush has any glaring weakness, its being too "loyal" to people who failed in their jobs.

He should have demanded Tenet's resignation a week after the first planes hit. And continued on down the line until the heads of the failed parts of the CIUA were all relieved of duty.

We are now paying the price - leaks of calssified information for political purposes are despicable - and show that the CIA is has too many who are political opportunists determine to play the blame game instead of loyal Americans who are trying to do whats best for the nation.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-10-10 12:37:26 PM  

#13  The self-promoting Vince Cannistraro was well known for his proclivity to surround himself with yes men. Check his comments in a google search. You will be surprised at the depth of his ignorance.
Posted by: Tancred   2004-10-10 10:55:20 AM  

#12  I've said it before in other posts, Dems could have taken Bush to the woodshed if they wanted to. Bush should have fired the top 3-5 tiers of CIA, FBI and State in the weeks following 9/11. The lesson of getting it right the first time would have gotten through, despite the deluge of lawsuits and MSM whining. Then Bush should have appointed to the top positions personnel who didn't owe their allegiance to the system, but to the nation and its president in a time of emergency. Should have, could have, didn't.

William Casey did not reform CIA, he merely used its assets to complete his mission for the president, much to the chagrin of the old line CIA. Casey just ignored them.

Mrs Davis, CIA in Saudi Arabia aren't like State, that is, wholly bought and paid for. They are like CIA in a Soviet state, operating on rumors and state pronouncements without independent information sources of their own, and unable to cultivate them because the Saudis are technically "allies."

And for SECSTATE when the hopelessly overrated and outmanned Powell resigns? Alan Keyes. What fun that would be!
Posted by: longtime lurker   2004-10-10 10:37:45 AM  

#11  When Colin Powell resigns after the election, I wanted to see him replaced by Donald Trump. Not that Trump would be good interacting with other nations. I just wanted him to serve for about two months. He could walk around the state department building saying just two words to every employee he met. Perhaps Bush could start him at Langley.
Posted by: A Jackson   2004-10-10 10:29:13 AM  

#10  I'm with Frank. Clean house.

November 3d.

And in State, too.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-10-10 10:11:38 AM  

#9  Many came through during the late 80's, 90's, when they botched the fall of USSR. Intel gathered previously from personal contacts shifted to intel from satellites and sigint, more of a NSA-type work. They've lost their expertise and focus and are circling the wagons rather than accept, adapt, and overcoming their faults. Clean house
Posted by: Frank G   2004-10-10 10:06:02 AM  

#8  I wonder how many CIA personnel are like State Department personnel, on the US payroll when on active duty protecting the interests of the Saud family and in retirement on the Saudi dole. I doubt many in Ops are, but I'll bet a whole boatload of analysts and the types who do this political leaking are.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-10-10 9:46:42 AM  

#7  William Casey: Where are you when we need you?
Posted by: badanov   2004-10-10 9:18:41 AM  

#6  Fighting to defend their patch ahead of the future review, anti-Bush CIA operatives have ensured that Iraq remains high on the election campaign agenda long after Republican strategists such as Karl Rove, the President’s closest adviser, had hoped that it would fade from the front pages.

Its my ball and you can't play with it. I think a lot of this is defending their territory from invasion by any overseeing or unified agency that might be created. And if they think Kerry will be their friend, well tell me where I can get some of that happy smoke too
Posted by: Cheaderhead   2004-10-10 9:13:57 AM  

#5  We, fuckwit Thriger? You're not American, asshole, and thus you have no say in the matter. In fact, given your silly mishmash, it's entirely likely you're either DhimmiSpanish (or similar SocialistScumTwit) or part of a Target-Rich Society. In the former, you're on your own and fucked... In the latter, we'll be seeing you real soon. Smile for the satellites, K?
Posted by: .com   2004-10-10 5:00:08 AM  

#4  [Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: Thriger Clusing2422 TROLL   2004-10-10 4:36:58 AM  

#3  They've crossed the line when they put politics and the agency ahead of thier oath to "uphold and defend".

The CIA is filled with careerists who dicked things up in Iraq, and blew it in 9/11, blew it in previous missle attacks during Clinton against Afghanistan, etc.

Its time the CIA was disassembled, and its functions assigned to the military for "direct operations", and the NSA/NRO for satellite stuff, and new part of the FBI to handle state-side counter-terr, and a revamped service along the lines of NSA except focused on HUMINT. And that agency would be along side rather than "first among equals" that the CIA is now.

Somone needs to break some heads over ethere at CIA and have them stand up, take the balme for the errors and gross mistakes, and get the ball rolling for reform, including firing the desk-bound pencil pushers who came to command during the 90's and dont know squat about running anything other than political ops. Bring back some cold-war guys who know how to manage an agency that is in a fight against a determined clever opponent - and promote some of the guys with filed experience now in the Stans and other regions.

Get rid of the residue of middle managers brought to senior positions from 91 thru 2001.

Its either that or have the CIA become completely ineefective and politicised.

In the face of that sort of insubordination, disloyalty, and seditious behavior by people inside th agency, we probably have no other resort than to tear the agency apart and rebuild it from the ground up. Look at NSA in the late 70's to early 80's for an example of how to do that.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-10-10 3:22:29 AM  

#2  If these sacks of skin can't shut up and get on with their jobs and quit attacking their boss Mr Bush by not keeping their mouths shut perhaps a bit of wet work will convince them. I don't care a whit that they don't like the heat. Seems to me they have been steping on their own meat. STFU and do your job or go to jail or worse. If it's known who these larpos are lock them up. Supporting Kerry on company time is giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
Posted by: Sock Puppet on the Road (to Doom)   2004-10-10 2:05:08 AM  

#1  That's it. I call for a PURGE.
Posted by: Edward Yee   2004-10-10 1:21:48 AM  

00:00